After researching several other streaming audio devices in the sub-$200 range, this product seemed to have the features I wanted plus a lot of good customer reviews (here and at other sites).I have a large collection of MP3s (non-DRM) on my PC and a WEP-secured wireless network in my house. The physical setup was really easy plug in the AC adapter and connect it to my stereo with the provided audio cable. The wireless setup took more effort than I expected, but in the end my problems were with my wireless router.
Even though it's a DHCP server and works fine with all the PCs in my house and my Tivo, the Streamium was being assigned an invalid IP. I fixed this by using the 'reserve IP' feature of my router to specify the IP that DHCP will assign to the Streamium based on it's MAC address. Your mileage will vary depending on your brand/model of router.
After I got it on my network, the rest was a breeze. I decided to use the Philips Media Manager software instead of the Windows Media Center (or whatever it's called) because I really don't trust Microsoft to not-screw-up my existing MP3 collection. iTunes already wreaked havoc once (it tried to rearrange all my files until I disabled 'manage my music folder'). I wasn't going to tempt fate a second time.
The Streamium device looks really slick. The screen is easy to read and displays a decent amount of information. Selecting songs, artists, albums, shuffling, etc. were all easy to do. And, most importantly, the sound quality is great.
The only negative comment I have:
You have to use the remote. There are zero controls on the device itself. If you lose that remote, might as well chuck the rest of it in the trash. The same thing can be said about many competing products though.
At this price, it does everything I expected and it does it well. I'd give it five stars if it didn't rely solely on the remote.
Con: Have to use WEP encryption, does not support WPA (or you could go w/o encryption). Need to set up exception in firewall software. These are not really cons, just technical items that may be difficult for non-technical types to do.
I just set up a new home theater system in my basement, and thought it would be convenient if I could transmit the music on my computer to play on the A/V receiver. I searched the net and Cnet for recommended products, and came across this. Some wireless systems will stream video too, but most seemed to have technical issues doing it and/or seemed technically complicated. This fits my needs for transmitting music I do not have movies or TV shows stored on my computer. (This will also show pictures and play videos, but I have not connected through to my TV.)
All you need is a computer with a 11b or 11g wireless connection and Windows Media Player v.10. Set up was quick and easy, and it automatically downloaded the latest firmware from Philips. I have a Philips MP3 player, and Philips seems to be good about updating software and keeping web support pages up to date. I had problems switching my wireless encryption down to WEP level, but I have had issues any time I changed the encryption settings. I made input & output exceptions in my firewall software (PC-cillin from Trend Micro) and I was good to go.
As long as your computer is running, you point the remote at the wireless receiver and select what you want to hear. You can play, shuffle, & repeat songs from your computer, or listen to Web radio stations. My computer is only about 30' away, but I am guessing that reception is as good as any wireless device. For $60 delivered (the website for the Arkansas based store, starts with a 'W'), this is a GREAT deal. Looks good, too not like some computer component. No more loading CDs in the DVD player for me.
Buy PHILIPS STREAMIUM SLA5500 Wireless Music Receiver Now
This item is no longer available on AMAZON (Thank god!). I made the mistake of purchasing two of these after falling in love with the idea of being able to play all the music from my computer on my home stereo systems. Out of the box we had issues as the device only support WEP encryption which has been known to have security issues for several years now. The device does not (and will never) support WPA encryption which provides true wireless security. I went through the trouble of creating an entire separate network without security simply to provide music to the receiver. Even then with full signal strength and after spending HOURS on the phone with Philips tech support the music would still skip to the point you couldn't listen to it for more than about 1 minute. The bottom line is Philips created this line of products to compete with other similar devices on the market and when they weren't able to get them working correctly, they ditched the entire line and stopped supporting it. BAD BUSINESS!!! If I ran my business like that, I would be out of business.Read Best Reviews of PHILIPS STREAMIUM SLA5500 Wireless Music Receiver Here
I have been all over the net learning about this line of products... only to find that this device has a firmware upgrade that enables what I believe are several shoutcast streams! BOO-YAH, Soma FM without running my PC!I believe some basic premium services can also be enabled... pretty neat.
Eventually I will try the media server aspect, but thanks to John's tip below, I was happy to get a $50+ dollar internet radio! Set it up in about 3 minutes and its AWESOME.
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